The chaos of Blizzcon 2018 is now over and most people are home getting excited about the games they have seen, or maybe enjoying the fun swag they took home. This year was just as iconic as previous years and just as busy as well. Many people showed up to scour the Anaheim Convention Center for two days to learn everything possible about Blizzard’s new releases for the year.
As a participant in the fun, I went to every panel for Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft Reforged, Diablo Immortal, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone. Luckily, I got to demo all of the games as well. While some games received a warm welcome, others did not for various reasons.
First off, Overwatch announced their new 29th character, Ashe. She is a western girl with a taste for the crime life. Wielding the Viper, a pretty awesome rifle, she shoots to kill, throws dynamite and brings along her henchman B.O.B, to do some of her dirty work even though he is very lovable and should probably be his own character. She is a gorgeous new addition to the Overwatch cast and the team put a lot of work in to her animation. Playing as Ashe was interesting. Since I’m a tank player, she was easy to use but also easy to kill. Her reloads are on the slower side but players everywhere will really enjoy her abilities.
Diablo Immortal was probably the worst received game that was announced. Fans that participated in the Q&A were undoubtedly asking questions at the heart of the matter, why isn’t the company focusing on a Diablo 4? Handling the questions with grace, the company simply asked that people give their new mobile version a chance. Now available on all platforms, I was pleasantly surprised with the gameplay. New mechanics make playing super streamlined and receptive. So, I will definitely be getting the mobile version as soon as it launched by the end of the year.
Starcraft 2 announced the addition of the fourth War Chest. As the crowd got excited with every bit of information the gifts just kept on coming. New build skins will be available, the AI has been corrected for players in the mini-games, a new commander has been added and so much more. The overall look of the skins are fantastic with their silver and red sheen. The demo part, to me, was just fun. Since I don’t actively play the game I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. Fan feedback however has been great.
Hearthstone Rastakhan’s Rumble revealed that 4 new cards will be added to provide players with some new abilities. Some of the abilities allow for another strike before the next player’s turn, a decrease in mana cost, extra stealth for one turn and more. The addition of these cards is super helpful when putting together a strategy. Now players can try to get an upper hand on their opponent.
Warcraft 3: Reforged is a remake of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. For those that yearn for the old days, this version has new map additions, updated graphics and so much more. It truly looks fantastic. The demo wasn’t very long but everyone was having a wonderful time running through the Barrens, finding quests and just having a great time.
Last but not least was the release of Heroes of the Storm. Orphea is the new character being added to the game that has the ability to toss a coffin toward her enemies. Although this is not the best description of what she can do, this was also my first time playing the game. As a team, getting to play as Orphea was very difficult but we won in the end before the demo was over. Most of the time Orphea lead the team with her powerful abilities.
Among all of these releases, there were numerous Blizzard shop exclusive releases as well and BlizzCon was ended with three concerts that went on simultaneously. Lindsey Stirling was the first woman to perform at BlizzCon and she had a full house, literally standing room only. Also, the Esport finals came to a conclusion and confetti was everywhere!